Google launches Android Wear companion app

Last month, at its yearly I/O developer conference, Google introduced Android Wear, a version of the popular open-source operating system designed for wearables, like the LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live smartwatches. Connecting such devices to Android handsets is, as usual, a companion app, that Google just launched.

The app, called Android Wear, gives users the ability to manage their wearables, allowing them to adjust the preferences for voice commands (which play a key role in the Android Wear user experience), tweak notification settings (which, again, is an important feature for the platform), and of course configure the devices from the comfort of their Android handsets.

Developer support can make or break Android Wear, and to showcase compatible apps the search giant has introduced an Apps for Android Wear section on Google Play. Right now, it only lists 20 offerings, with the most prominent being published by the likes of Google, American Airlines and Pinterest.

It will be interesting to see what other developers jump on the Android Wear bandwagon, as there clearly are few major apps available at this point, and how they will leverage what the platform has to offer to add clear-cut value.